VALUING YOUR PROPERTY :
THE ART OF RECOGNISING wHAT YOU HOLD DEAR
Within the French language lies a quiet truth: the word enchère (a bid) derives from the Latin carus—that which is dear, cherished, yet also that for which one is willing to pay. Before becoming a commercial act, valuation is thus an act of reassurance: the recognition of the worth of what one has long held precious.
Established in the Orléanais region and in Paris, Philocale places at your disposal the discerning eye of its specialists, wherever your objects may be—whether for auction, insurance, or simple curiosity. In his capacity as commissaire de justice, Maître Matthieu Semont is likewise authorised to draw up judicial inventories required by law or court order: estates, divisions, guardianships, curatorships, seizures, or insolvency proceedings.
An inherited piece, a painting long set aside, a lifetime’s collection — or even the most modest object — each is received with the same attention and absolute discretion, without obligation to sell, so that it may be understood and valued at its proper worth.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
SELLING AT AUCTION: THE ART OF PASSING THINGS ON
Parting with a piece of furniture requires a certain resolve; separating from a beloved object sometimes demands courage. Yet “works of art are loved as much as silk, as much as gold and as much as passion” — there is “fire in the auctions” (Théophile Gautier, Journal officiel, 1870, feuilleton). Let us entrust the expertise of Maître Matthieu Semont and his team.
Philocale carries out this transmission with method and care: inventorying, photographing and promoting your assets through our networks: Interenchères, La Gazette Drouot, the press, social media.
From appraisal to sale, Philocale watches over your assets with the discretion that this imposes and the passion that drives it. Every lot deserves the care taken to find the person who will appreciate it.
Philocale, that is on average 6,000 lots brought under the hammer each year. Many treasures still lie dormant in your attics — wait no longer to entrust us with their sale!
MEMORABLE RESULTS
Buying at auction: The art of acquiring at the right price
“The possession of what one loves is a joy greater still than love itself.” Marcel Proust, The Prisoner (1923)
To acquire a work at public auction is to enter a centuries-old tradition, where value arises from the meeting of an object and the one who recognises it. Bidding is not merely a means of acquisition; it is an exercise in discernment, where transparency, emulation, and passion converge.
In the saleroom, bidding unfolds to the rhythm of the hammer and the call of “Going, going… gone!”. At a distance, it allows you to bid from your own home. In both cases, Philocale accompanies you at every stage, from registration to the collection of your lots.
Below you will find the conditions of purchase, practical guidance for bidding, and the safeguards underpinning each transaction — everything required for a confident and considered acquisition.
UPCOMING AUCTIONS
The art of being simple with art
In the first dictionary of the Académie française (1694), enchérir (to bid) and chérir (to cherish) appear side by side—as though the language itself had sought to preserve something that commerce might otherwise erase.
It is in this spirit that Matthieu Semont chose two Greek words to name his auction house—philô (to love) and kalos (the beautiful): Philocale was born. An etymology that is also a programme: to love beauty, to recognise it, and to uphold it.
Philocale is a voluntary sale auction house, also attached to the office of a commissaire de justice. In this dual capacity, its experienced team conducts all public auctions, whether voluntary or judiciary sales.
Since 2009, discerning collectors, demanding dealers, and the curious alike have gathered at its sales, drawn by beauty in all its forms—furniture, silver, fashion, jewellery—across every period. To choose Philocale is to favour a certain eclecticism, and to restore to the ordinary the place it deserves.
Pour être toujours plus proche de vous, retrouvez également Philocale sur Instagram et Facebook.
The Team
LATEST NEWS
Contact
T. +33 (0)1 74 90 91 10
T. +33 (0)2 38 53 71 66
12 rue Jean Nicot
45140 Saint-Jean-de-la- Ruelle
T. +33 (0)1 74 90 91 10
T. +33 (0)2 38 53 71 66
contact@philocale.fr
interencheres.com/45007